Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons Seeking Land
Update: Land found!
Since October of 2020, Garden Variety Harvests and the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons have been conducting an extensive land search, detailed below. In March of 2022, a 3.5 acre farm, the Lick Run Farm and Community Market, in Roanoke, was located! Read more about this exciting land acquisition project!
Currently farming backyards, Commons seeks permanent land
The Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons is seeking a property to acquire through land donation or fundraising purchase in the Roanoke, Virginia area.
Garden Variety Harvests (GVH) is an urban farm operating on small plots of leased and borrowed land throughout the city. They are the founding farm of the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons. GVH has experienced growth, yet finds inefficiencies in farming urban and peri-urban backyards in disparate locations throughout Roanoke. While farming yards has been a great start, they are ready to condense the farm operation to a single location in order to grow the business and grow more food. If land can be located, once acquired by the Commons, it will be conveyed to Garden Variety Harvests, providing affordable and equitable lease tenure.
READ: Cam’s blog post Farm Search to see what this land search means to him
READ: GVH Farm Search FAQ
Why Cameron of Garden Variety Harvests is Looking for Land
"I come from a share cropping farm in Sylvester, Georgia. My grandfather made a deliberate decision to move his children away from that environment because he saw it as deliberately exploitative to people of color."
What Backyard Farming Looks Like
"The most compelling reason behind the goal of a single-site farm is our strong belief in the ability of food production to build community. Our dream farm (and business plan) has a wealth of space open to the public for events and tours. We’ll have a farm cafe and veggie store so that folks can enjoy our food in view of the ground where it was grown. We believe small farm businesses make their communities stronger and that’s a role we look forward to playing."
Property Search Criteria
- 3-8 tillable flat acres to support vegetable farming
- 10-50 total acreage
- Residential home or development of home possible
- Farm buildings and infrastructure, or their development possible
- Less than an hour’s drive from the Grandin Village Farmers Market
- Road frontage to attract customers to an on-site farm stand and cafe
- Zoning that allows commercial sales, agricultural use, and residential use
We hold these lands for:
- Ecological, restorative agriculture and community building
- Land access and land justice for next generation farmers
- Long-term lease tenure and equity interest for farmers and ranchers
- Stewardship and ecosystem investment
- Viability of farms, ranches, and local agrarian economies
- Opportunities to advance land justice
- Do you own land that fits the search criteria or know a landowner who does? Contact us today: ian@agrariantrust.org
- Learn about the considerations and benefits of creating a legacy through gifting or selling land into the Agrarian Commons
- Donate to the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons land acquisition fund
- Spread the word! Share this page, and our social media posts with your networks!
If you or someone you know owns land that you think could be a fit for us, please send an email to start a conversation!